Larry Polhill | Café Valley | Resume 101: Do’s and Don’ts

For Larry Polhill (Café Valley), one of his pet peeves is receiving a resume that looks haphazardly put together. If the applicant can’t give his or her resume the time and attention that it needs, this could be interpreted as laziness or even complacency, which is a big no-no for employers. It’s unfortunate that some applicants undermine the power of a well-written and well-thought out CV. For the reader’s benefit, here are a few do’s and don’ts that you can keep in mind before submitting your resume:

Do customize your resume according to the company and the position you’re applying for. Take a look at the job description and requirements for the position provided by the company. How can you tailor your work experiences to make it more relevant for the position?

Don’t copy phrases verbatim from the company-supplied job details. For instance, if the job description or requirements include words like team player, excellent communication skills or extensive experience in C, PHP, and JavaScript, don’t use the exact same words for your work experiences. Be a little creative; perhaps give examples of how you’re a team player, or how adept you are at programming languages enumerated in bullet points.

Do highlight skills specific to the position. Make sure to include your accomplishments when highlighting your skills, especially highlighting quantifiable results such as increased percentage or amounts in sales.

Don’t include common/general skills like excellent command of Microsoft Office applications or Internet search skills. Even elementary grade students have these skills so if you’re already a professional, it’s a given that you know how to use these tools.

Do include volunteer work or other contributions you’ve given to charities and nonprofits. A lot of companies these days support certain causes, and if yours are aligned with theirs, or they see that you support good causes too, they could see you as a valuable addition to the company.

Don’t talk about religion, political affiliations, or support for “controversial” issues. Your CV isn’t the right avenue for talking about your personal beliefs.

There might be other do’s and don’ts that you can think of, but these are the general recommendations of Larry Polhill (Café Valley).

The reader is invited to check out previous posts on this page from Larry Polhill (Cafe Valley) to learn more about interview preparations and etiquette, and resume writing especially for applicants who are fresh out of college, or applicants with minimal work experience.

If you would like to comment on this post, or you wish to share your own do’s and don’ts please feel free to let us know! This site is open to everyone, and if you’ve got something you wish to share, you’re more than welcome to do so! Let’s make this a community of individuals that supports one another.

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Larry Polhill (Café Valley) will be updating this page regularly so please make sure to come back soon for his latest updates on job interviews and CV compositions.